Interview Questions for S. A. Gibson
1. What led to writing A Dangerous Way?
I live in the Southwestern Region of the United States, and was interested in thinking about how people would live if they lost all modern technology. How would people live with no internal combustion machines, no electricity, and no computers. It is not even a Steampunk world. I call it Woodpunk, because the skills of woodcraft, woodlore and survival in nature would be necessary of everyone to learn. So, this story set after the collapse of modern technical society is set in the Southwestern United States.
2. What are the traits you wanted in your main characters, Eleanora and William?
I wanted to portray young people struggling with disagreements with their elders. So Eleanora disagrees with her foster mother and William does not obey his superiors in the libraries. Then they meet each other, and find things to disagree with. This book can show that people can work through disagreements and find ways to work together.
3. What are some important themes you tried to touch on in the book?
The education and emancipation of women is important to me. I want Eleanora to be a young woman who attempts to always educate herself and other women. Science should be one of the most important ideas in the story. Also, the attempt to find peaceful resolution to danger is important. It is too common for people to think violence is the solution to all problems. I felt it was important for William to attempt to stop enemies without killing them when possible.
4. What writing style do you use?
A Dangerous Way is written in third person with a few different POV characters. I hope that writing it in present tense will feel more action oriented to readers. I also added notes at the end to give more detail about locations, technology or other information that readers might be curious about. The book is not constant action. Although Eleanora and the other characters must constantly move to solve the problems in the story, the tension should rise and fall several times through the book.
5. How did you choose the cover art for A Dangerous Way?
I saw David Steele's drawing on the cover of someone else's book and contacted him about doing a cover for my first fiction book. I appreciated the woodblock look of the drawing he did. The cover is meant to represent William and Eleanor with their favorite weapons.
6. Which authors do you enjoy?
I have read a multitude of Science Fiction novels. I most often read stories where multiple cultures interact with each other. I enjoy Luis McMaster Bujold (Barrayar, where Cordelia must confront and live with the alien Barrayarians), Sharon Lee (Fledgling, where Theo must learn about the Liadens and other space faring groups in her universe), Sara King (Zero Recall, where humans must learn to live with the dangerous aliens who have power over Earth). Ryk E. Spoor (Spheres of Influence, where humans find that advanced civilizations control access to space). I like character driven stories about conflict and the resolution of conflict, with intelligent female leaders.
7. Are there other stories related to A Dangerous Way?
Once you have read Eleanora's and William's story you can read more adventures of William Way in Pratima's Forbidden Book, available at Amazon.
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